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The team from Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent charity evaluator and leading donor advocate, shares their thoughts on emerging nonprofit-sector issues and offers tips to better inform your intelligent giving decisions.

Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Charity Navigator's Top 10 Tuesday: Most Followed Charities

Each week, Charity Navigator brings you a list of ten highly-rated charities to inspire your giving and introduce you to organizations you may not know. Today we’re sharing our Top 10 charities with the most Charity Navigator followers. You can use your Charity Navigator account to “follow” organizations and get notifications when their ratings have been updated. These organizations are some of the most popular among Charity Navigator account users.Plus, keep reading to learn more how a free Charity Navigator account can help to simplify your giving!

Doctors Without Borders, USA☆☆☆☆Providing emergency medical careDoctors Without Borders, USA (DWB-USA) was founded in 1990 in New York City to raise funds, create awareness, recruit field staff, and advocate with the United Nations and US government on humanitarian concerns. Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international medical humanitarian organization that provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters.American Red Cross☆☆☆ + ImpactHelping prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergenciesSince its founding in 1881 by visionary leader Clara Barton, the American Red Cross has been the nation's premier emergency response organization. We bring shelter, food, and comfort to those affected by disasters, large and small. We collect lifesaving donated blood and supply it to patients in need. We provide support to our men and women in military bases around the world, and to the families they leave behind. We train communities in CPR, first aid and other skills that save lives. And we assist our neighbors abroad with critical disaster response, preparedness and disease prevention efforts. We are able to do all this by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.The Nature Conservancy☆☆☆ + ImpactProtecting nature. Preserving life.The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. Since our founding in 1951, we have protected more than 119 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide - and we operate more than 100 marine conservation projects globally. We have more than one million members. We work in all 50 states and more than 30 countries - protecting habitats from grasslands to coral reefs, from Australia to Alaska to Zambia. We address threats to conservation involving climate change, fire, fresh water, forests, invasive species, and marine ecosystems. We use a science-based approach, aided by our more than 500 staff scientists, and we pursue non-confrontational, pragmatic solutions to conservation challenges.World Wildlife Fund☆☆☆ + ImpactProtecting the future of natureFounded in 1961, World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) mission is the conservation of nature. Using the best available scientific knowledge and advancing that knowledge where we can, we work to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth and the health of ecological systems by: protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species; promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources; and promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution. We are committed to reversing the degradation of our planet's natural environment and to building a future in which human needs are met in harmony with nature. We recognize the critical relevance of human numbers, poverty and consumption patterns to meeting these goals.Natural Resources Defense Council☆☆☆☆The Earth’s best defenseThe Natural Resources Defense Council's (NRDC) purpose is to safeguard the Earth: its people, its plants and animals and the natural systems on which all life depends. We work to restore the integrity of the elements that sustain life - air, land, and water - and to defend endangered natural places. We seek to establish sustainability and good stewardship of the Earth as central ethical imperatives of human society. NRDC affirms the integral place of human beings in the environment. We strive to protect nature in ways that advance the long-term welfare of present and future generations. We work to foster the fundamental right of all people to have a voice in decisions that affect their environment.UNICEF USA☆☆☆ + ImpactChildren firstThe United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood.Save the Children☆☆☆ + ImpactCreating last change for children in need in the United States and around the worldSave the Children invests in childhood - every day, in times of crisis and for our future. In the United States and around the world, we are dedicated to ensuring every child has the best chance for success. Our pioneering programs give children a healthy start, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. Our advocacy efforts provide a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. As the leading expert on children, we inspire and achieve lasting impact for millions of the world's most vulnerable girls and boys. By transforming children's lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.ALSAC - St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital☆☆☆ + ImpactFundraising for St. Jude’s Research HospitalALSAC (American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities) was founded in 1957 and exists for the sole purpose of raising funds to support the operating and maintenance of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The mission of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is to find cures for children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. It is supported primarily by donations raised by ALSAC. Research efforts are directed at understanding the molecular, genetic and chemical bases of catastrophic diseases in children; identifying cures for such diseases; and promoting their prevention. Research is focused specifically on cancers, some acquired and inherited immunodeficiencies, sickle cell disease, infectious diseases and genetic disorders.DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust☆☆☆☆Empowering veterans to lead high-quality lives with respect and dignityThe DAV (Disabled American Veterans) Charitable Service Trust supports physical and psychological rehabilitation programs that provide direct service to ill, injured, or wounded veterans. Programs supported by the Trust target several groups of physically and psychologically injured veterans. Programs supported by the Trust typically include: providing food, shelter and other necessary items to homeless or at-risk veterans; accessibility or mobility items for veterans with vision or hearing impairments; therapeutic activities; physical and psychological activities for rehabilitation; and other forms of direct service for veterans and their families.American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)☆☆☆ + ImpactWe are their voiceFounded in 1866, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) was the first humane organization established in the Americas, and today has more than one million supporters throughout North America. The ASPCA's mission is to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States. The ASPCA provides local and national leadership in animal-assisted therapy, animal behavior, animal poison control, anti-cruelty, humane education, legislative services, and shelter outreach. The New York City headquarters houses a full-service, accredited animal hospital, adoption center, and mobile clinic outreach program. The Humane Law Enforcement department enforces New York's animal cruelty laws.Don’t have a Charity Navigator account? It’s free to sign up and can help you simplify you’re giving. Learn about all of the benefits of a Charity Navigator account in this recent blog post.